Data glitch delays James Webb Space Telescope launch to at least Christmas Eve

The long-awaited launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the $10 billion successor to the iconic Hubble, has been delayed at least two days. The launch will now take place no earlier than the morning of Christmas Eve as NASA works to troubleshoot a data glitch that cropped up during a pre-launch test.

Folded up to fit inside the nose cone of a European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket at ESA's launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, the telescope was mounted atop its booster on Saturday to set the stage for blastoff.

Engineers were preparing to attach the protective nose cone fairing around the observatory when "a communications issue between the observatory and the launch vehicle system" was observed, NASA said in a blog post.